8 Mistakes People Make When Trying To Lose Weight Fast

You’ve got that summer beach holiday approaching - you want to shift some pounds but be careful, do it too fast and your metabolism could be negatively affected in the long run. We’ve put together the most common mistakes people should stop making when trying to lose weight fast.

1. CALORIES & YOUR BMR

The most straight forward formula for weight loss is to burn more calories than you are consuming each day, right. Around 2000 calories a day is recommended for women so sticking to a limit of 1500 will support weight loss whilst ensuring a balanced diet. But it’s not as simple as that, everyone is different and you need to take into account your BMR – Basal metabolic rate. Your BMR is basically the amount of calories your body uses each day just to function & tick over. It can vary significantly depending on your height & composition so before you set yourself a calorie target you need to know you BMR. Find out yours using thisBMR calculator

Everyone is different and so your daily calorie target should be personalised based on your Basal Metabolic Rate.

2. DON’T MESS WITH YOUR METABOLISM

You need to eat regularly and include healthy snacks in between meals to keep your metabolism firing. An efficient metabolism will mean that your body will use the calories from the meals you eat for energy and burn fat burn fat from your body when needed. However, if you skip breakfast for example or go for long periods of time without eating then you run the risk of your body going intostarvation mode,which is bad news for weight loss. Instead of using the food you eat for energy your body will begin to store it as fat right away, just in case you go another 10 hours without food. You'll start breaking down muscle for energy instead of using stored fat meaning your fat loss will actually slow down even though you're eating less. To make things even worse, if you often let yourself get very hungry, this will increase levels of the hormone, cortisol in your body which actually encourages your body to store fat around your mid-section. The only solution is to eat regularly & healthily with plenty of water everyday, no crash diets or starving yourself.

3. NOT ENOUGH CARBS

You are correct in thinking that consuming too many carbohydrates is among the most common causes of weight gain. Your body uses up carbohydrates for energy first and then fat & stored fat and then onto protein & your muscle. It’s therefore super important that you eat enough carbs each day tonearlycover your energy requirements leaving your fat stores to cover the rest. If you are hitting the gym or exercising regularly then you’ll need more carbohydrates than if you don’t but either way, keep your metabolism away from breaking down muscle for energy. If that does happen then your fat loss will slow right down, you’ll get more jiggly and lose definition & areas that once seemed toned could begin to sag, yikes. The less muscle you have the harder it is to burn fat. So make sure you are eating just enough healthy carbohydrates everyday.

4. PORTIONS & BALANCE.

Low carb & high protein diets are all the rage at the moment & in principle they can help you sculpt your body into shape without much exercise at all. In simple terms let’s take a look at your dinner plate, it should be divided in half with green vegetables, a quarter should be starchy carbs like brown rice or sweet potatoes & the last quarter should be lean protein. If you’re not getting much exercise then cut down on the starchy carbs & increase the lean protein & think about doing a little more exercise. This should pretty much be the guide for every meal you eat going forward.

5. DRINK WELL & STAY HYDRATED

If you are thirsty your body can mistake this for hunger leading to unnecessary cravings & snacking. Dehydration can also cause mood swings, increased stress levels & low concentration levels, bad skin & hair & water retention. You should be sipping around 2 litres of water throughout each day to ensure your body can function at its optimum level.

6. LOW FAT OPTIONS

Low fat options still seem to taste so good but here’s the truth, it’s often the sugar content. Low fat does not mean low sugar & eating too much of the sweet stuff causes big ups & big downs which inevitably leads to snacking hard. Cut out the sugar as much as possible even those healthy desserts, sugar just loves to live around your waistline. It all starts with diet.

7. MANAGE EXPECTATIONS

Don’t be unrealistic, it took you years to gain weight & you can probably lose it twice as quick but you’ve got to give yourself time. Your body will start by burning the fat sitting around your vital organs which could take a few weeks. The result is, you could be shifting some serious pounds without seeing any change on outside, sounds pretty demoralising right. Just be patient, as soon as you’ve burn all that internal fat your body will switch to the noticeable fat & you’ll feel healthier & stronger right away plus you'll start seeing the results fast.

You should also be kind to yourself & thank your body for all that it’s done for you so far. Be happy with where you are on your journey & look forward to the rest of the path in front of you.